North Queensland connectivity wars

Angus Kidman, editor of Life Hacker Australia, says Townsville's National Broadband Network status has made it an even more desirable place to be.

"There is more chance of getting a connection there, so when you combine that with the fact that Townsville is a nice place to live, it is a very logical place to be on the top of that list," he said.

Why did they choose Townsville for the NBN?

Mr Kidman says Townsville was "lucky" to be one of the first places in Australia to receive the NBN.

"When the NBN was first announced in its original form, it was always known that it wouldn't come to everywhere at once," he said.

He says there was a conscious effort to choose regional cities because metros generally already have better connectivity.

"Townsville essentially got lucky ... and that means Townsville was one of the first sites anywhere in Australia to start having NBN stuff built," he said.

The future of the NBN in Cairns

Mr Kidman says Cairns has received some NBN infrastructure in the CBD and there are advanced build plans for the next ring around the city.

"It seems pretty likely that those build plans will go ahead and fibre will go into those areas, but they might decide to cut it off short at the exchange level, rather than bringing it to the premises, meaning reduced speeds between the exchange and the premises," he said.

Mr Kidman says the type of internet connection available is a growing influence on where people choose to live.

"I do think it is something that is going to influence where people live and, as is the way with these things, that is ultimately going to influence the value of some properties," he said.

Is the fibre worth it?

Mr Kidman says the upgraded connection is not so much about the things we already use the internet for, but the things we haven't thought of.

"If you have got a good fibre connection, it really does improve things because the consistency and reliability mean you can do new things," he said.

He says most people focus on the download speeds, but the real benefits are in the upload speeds.

"If you want to share something, if you want to send videos to families or friends or business associates, that is much easier and you find you do it more, and it changes the way you think about doing things," he said.